Infrared thermography to diagnose and manage venomous animal bites and stings

Infrared imaging (IR) is a noninvasive technique that quantifies body surface temperature, producing a digital color image. IR has been used to study diseases in which skin temperature can reflect the presence of inflammation. This was an observational pilot study of eight patients envenomed by snakes, spiders, and scorpions. All patients were examined using a thermal camera. In all cases, we obtained infrared images that corroborated clinical findings indicating localized effects of venom, specifically inflammation. IR has potential for use as a research, diagnostic, and monitoring tool for localized effects of animal venoms.